Austria welcomed MotoGP with anything but clear weather and Friday’s free practice sessions were characterized by two rather different sessions but which made it clear that once again the bike to beat is Ducati. At the Red Bull Ring the wet track shuffled the cards in the morning session, while in the afternoon the dry one re-established the hierarchy. To interrupt the hegemony of the Reds of Borgo Panigale is once again Fabio Quartararo, who enters fourth position with his Yamaha.
For the first time, the drivers tried today the new configuration of the track, which includes a chicane at Turn 2, designed to increase safety and avoid what we have seen in previous editions of the Austrian Grand Prix. After lapping in the two sessions and trying the chicane with the bike, Quartararo gives his opinion: “The biggest difference can be seen under braking, some are really sharp, so you have to pay attention to the temperatures. In 2020 we struggled, and also in 2021 things could have been better, but this year it seems that things will go much better from that point of view ”.
Although more and more safety is sought, the new layout does not thrill the drivers too much, who preferred the previous one in terms of driving. However, El Diablo jokes: “In the first sector we are second so it’s not bad, but to be honest I preferred the track before the changes. But obviously you prefer the layout that allows you to be faster. For us, this cut is better, it is a small segment that is done first, shorter than I initially expected. When you cycle around the circuit things seem much bigger than they do when you get on the bike “.
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The chicane seems to favor the Ducatis, according to Johann Zarco. Therefore there will be several bikes to beat this Austrian weekend. The Frenchman of the Pramac team set the best time in the afternoon, while Jack Miller set the fastest time of the morning. The first enemy is therefore Ducati.
But what weapons does Yamaha have to face the Borgo Panigale army? Quartararo has no solutions: “The feeling is always the same, I always feel at the limit and I have the pressure of not being able to make any mistakes. I struggle a lot, but the alternative is to complain and that would lead nowhere. So I prefer to stay focused and give it my all, in the hope that next year the bike will take a step forward and give us a hand ”.
The topic of the day, however, is the sprint race. Motorsport.com has anticipated the news of the proposal of the new format for the next MotoGP season, which sees the introduction of a short race along the lines of Formula 1. Quartararo, however, is categorically opposed to the idea, which he considers meaningless and dangerous. : “I think it’s totally stupid. I am not the person in charge of making decisions on race formats, but I think we are about to have a stupid one. If it comes to adopting it once in a while like Formula 1 it can be interesting, but every Saturday … honestly there are tracks where you are physically exhausted, like Assen or Mugello. When we finish the race we are exhausted. Honestly, I don’t think it’s right to do it without asking the riders’ opinion. At least it was not asked “.
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